......

“Uralala, what’s wrong?”

While everyone else was applauding and cheering, Rice Shower noticed Uralala sitting quietly in her spot, her expression as calm as a lake.

“Uralala?”

“Ah, what’s wrong, Mimi?” Uralala seemed to awaken from a dream, blinking and turning to Rice Shower.

“What were you thinking about just now? You didn’t respond when I called you.”

Uralala shook her head, “Nothing, I just thought Trainer sang too well.”

“Is that so.”

Uralala’s unspoken thoughts were clear even to Rice Shower, but Rice Shower couldn’t guess what they were.

“It’s really nothing. Let’s keep watching the performance. It’ll be our turn to go on stage soon.”

“Okay.”

......

As the concert progressed, Tokai Teio and Lu Jue hit their stride, gradually letting loose in their singing.

Tokai Teio’s voice had high penetration and impact, like a heavy object falling from a great height, piercing through the air at high speed.

And Lu Jue’s voice was like a cotton pad, steadily catching Tokai Teio’s voice and finally enveloping it tightly.

When the performance ended, the two exchanged a glance, then tacitly bowed to the audience, “Thank you!”

Finally, they exited to applause.

“Trainer~ I was still nervous when I went on stage just now. Not only did I forget to introduce myself, but my voice was also trembling when I first started singing.” Tokai Teio said with a hand over her mouth, laughing.

Lu Jue rubbed his nose, “Not much experience. On stage and off stage are different.”

Seeing that Lu Jue didn’t refute much, Tokai Teio rarely offered comfort: “But the result was still very good. I really enjoyed cooperating with Trainer.”

“Then next time, if there’s a chance, shall we do it together again?”

“Trainer still wants to sing with me?”

“No.”

“I knew it…” Tokai Teio was slow to react for a second or two, “Eh!? No? Trainer, how can you be like this!”

......

The event lasted for over an hour, and all Uma Musume had a chance to perform.

Seiun Sky’s cheongsam was too restrictive for activities, so she only went on stage to sing a song.

The combination of Rice Shower and Uralala, those two little cuties, received a lot of applause, but Uralala didn’t seem very happy.

Special Week and Nimble Beret also chose to sing. They seemed to have prepared for a long time, and everything was handled perfectly.

Silence Suzuka’s performance was a dance. When she spun, her skirt flared out like an open, spinning umbrella.

And just as Grass Wonder’s metaphor of “magnolia” suggested, Silence Suzuka’s every movement exuded purity and grace.

Lu Jue clapped happily, but Silence Suzuka occasionally cast a glance from the stage, which inexplicably sent shivers down his spine.

Silence Suzuka’s gaze this morning was burning hot, and now it was chillingly cold…

Lu Jue stated that he wasn’t yet enveloped in deep trouble, but he was already enveloped in deep trouble.

......

At the end, Tojo Hana’s side began tallying scores.

Points were only recorded once, so even if Tokai Teio performed two rounds, only her highest score was taken.

“Now, I’ll announce the scores for each team. The last-place team has to drink that terrible juice, right?”

“Uh… Sister Hua, that’s nutritious vegetable and fruit juice,” Lu Jue corrected weakly.

“Never mind that. The last place has to drink it, right?”

“Yes.” Lu Jue wondered if Tojo Hana didn’t know this already, why she kept asking.

“Alright, then I’ll announce the rankings.”

“First place, Symboli Rudolf’s team. Second place, Maruzensky’s team. Third place, Narita Brian’s team.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jue looked sympathetically at Taiki Shuttle and the others beside him, “Tree, it’s okay, it’s good for you to drink more.”

Look at the child, they’re so numb from drinking it, it seems like being in last place doesn’t even matter anymore.

Just as Lu Jue was feeling emotional, Tojo Hana’s voice rang out again, “Last place, Lu Jue’s team.”

“Huh?” Lu Jue, out of the loop, pointed at himself, “No, Sister Hua…”

What the heck, was she treating him like one of them?

“Xiao Lu, since you also participated, you naturally have a score, but you didn’t join any team, so you’re a team of one.” Tojo Hana said as if it were obvious.

“Sister Hua, when were you bribed?”

“Hey, Xiao Lu, that’s wrong. How can a judge’s business be called bribery? We are just following the suggestions of the vast audience.” Nishizaki Ryu also came over to kick him while he was down, adding to the pile-on.

Narita Brian’s team erupted in cheers.

No wonder Tojo Hana had no emotional fluctuations when she just announced it; she was waiting for this moment.

Then Taiki Shuttle walked over, “Trainer Lu, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s good for you to drink more.”

“Or is Trainer Lu not going to drink it?” Gold Ship stretched her muscles, her demeanor about to turn into JOJO.

Narita Brian nearby also rubbed her hands together, eager to try.

Just these two were enough to make Lu Jue’s limbs unable to move. If Narita Brian’s entire team came, it would be a seven-part Trainer.

“Xiao Lu, so you don’t say we’re unfair, I’ll announce the overall scores.” Tojo Hana looked at the whiteboard in her hand and read: “First place 98 points exactly, second place 97.78, third place 97.66, you… your team, starts with 0.”

“Sister Hua, when you were scoring earlier, you told me I could unconditionally trust them, and that they would score objectively…”

“I wasn’t wrong. Maybe their scoring standards for you are different. Perhaps one point is the highest rating, who knows.”

As soon as Tojo Hana finished speaking, the Uma Musume below echoed her words in unison.

“Yes, my highest score here is one point.”

“Mine is 0.5, so I gave Trainer Lu the highest score.”

“Mine is 0 points. It’s good I didn’t give negative points.”

......

One by one, they stopped pretending.

“Trainer Lu, are you going to drink it or not?” Gold Ship had already surrounded him.

Even though Lu Jue was taller, he couldn’t muster any will to resist.

Even Uralala had betrayed him. Could he ask others for help?

“I surrender, I’ll drink it.”

As soon as he spoke, Gold Ship came over with a paper cup of the drink, and it wasn’t the usual small shot glass.

“No, this…”

“Xiao Lu, drink it. Wasn’t your alcohol tolerance pretty good before?” Nishizaki Ryu enjoyed the show.

“Hahahah.”

“Since you said ‘drink, drink, drink,’ then drink it.”

Lu Jue pinched his nose and forced himself to drink it, enduring the stimulating taste, “It feels like sewage that’s fermented for a few days in the sewer, then drained into my stomach.”

“Trainer Lu can still make analogies. He should have some more.” Grass Wonder suggested.

......